September 11, 2011

Saving Oneself by Moving to Greener Pastures

There are a lot of reasons why jobs are presently evaporating in the United States..most evil, some not so much; uncooperative corporate tax rates, a government that works daily to foist a globalist view on Americans, and companies that are all too happy to shore up their bottom lines by moving overseas (moves that are, admittedly, sometimes influenced by aspects of the aforementioned) are but a few of the more insidious reasons for the mass disappearances, while the ongoing technological evolution that allows companies to continually do more with less is an example of reasons that are impactful but not necessarily rooted in ideological agendas.

That said, immediate, personal survival becomes our most pressing consideration when it’s at stake; the grander issues have to be addressed, as well, and sooner rather than later, but if we’re not able to function at the individual level, none of that can be prosecuted.

I largely agree with the idea that a pronouncement, made to all those without jobs currently, to “simply” move to where the jobs are, is unrealistic, but also less than accurate is a generalization that no one can move to where the jobs are, either.

There will always be people who cannot make such a change, for a variety of understandable reasons: poor health, inability to sell a home, and a variety of other factors that serve as weighty anchors to one’s present location. However, we all know full well that are also plenty of other people who do have the wherewithal to make a such a move…and yet the serious consideration to do so never enters their realms of consciousness.

What do we like to say is the definition of insanity? That it is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result? Well, if you live in a given area, have a given background, a given education…and none of those things changes…why would you expect to be any better off in three months, or six months, or even two years, than you are today? As for the risks associated with taking such a step, those have largely been mitigated in the Internet age; the ability to research prospects, communicate with people and firms, and even interview live through web-based technologies, all before even pulling a single suitcase down from the attic, has significantly lessened many of the uncertainties once intrinsically associated with making such a move.

Over and over again, we see families that actually have the ability to move but do not even consider it, because they “have no desire to uproot kids,” they “love their friends and neighbors,” they “can’t imagine leaving,” etc. Noted; however, by no coherent metric do those considerations outweigh the need for absolute survival, do they?

I recently spoke to a headhunter who specializes in the manufacturing management and engineering sectors, and she flat-out said there is a distinct manpower shortage she’s trying to fill in states like Nebraska, the Dakotas, and Minnesota. They are not, by any means, what any of us generally think of as the “glamour” states, but just what should the totem pole of priorities look like for a dangerously unemployed person?

Economic relocation is not for everyone, and no sensible person would claim that it is. Beyond that, it is offensive that so many even have to consider that prospect, given the grander-scale reasons why we’re in this mess. That said, relocation is for some people, and in the interest of living today in order to be able to fight tomorrow, it can be an awfully good idea.

Bob Yetman, Editor-at-Large at Christian Money.com (www.christianmoney.com), is an author of a variety of materials on personal finance and investing, as well as on topics of fitness and self defense, to include the book Investor's Passport to Hedge Fund Profits (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) and the unarmed combat training DVD Thunderstrikes - How to Develop One Shot, One Kill Striking Power (Paladin Press).

Comments

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Excellent critical thinking! As you say when a new job requires a move, it is not for everyone and some who are doing well where they are, do not look into the future to visualize what can happen to their present job. Feeling safe and secure in our present job and life in general is a luxury one cannot afford right now.